Page 87 of Veil of Shadows

“All right, all right,” he said as he shuffled me over to the bed. “Come on, let’s get you laid down.”

I struggled to catch my breath as snot threatened to pour out of my nose. I climbed onto the bed and groaned at how soft the sheets were. The black silk sheets illuminated with a soft purple hue everywhere that I touched. As if the sheets signaled to me exactly where I was laying. Then I realized why. The soft purple glow was a heat mechanism built into the sheets. Wherever Ipressed onto the sheets, the purple hue illuminated and grew with a low-grade sort of heat.

And that’s when I realized something.

This entire room was set up specifically for a human.

She knew she’d get me back here.

“Seriously,” Jacob said as he tucked me into bed, “you need rest. We’ll get coffee and breakfast in the morning and talk more. Just like old times, okay?”

God, what I wouldn’t have given for a little bit of ‘old times.’

“Now,” he said as he started his way to the bedroom door, “sleep, okay? Even if you get back up and take a bath, promise me that you’ll sleep.”

I couldn’t help but hunker down further into the warming silk sheets. “I promise.”

He smiled softly. “Good.”

But before he could close the door… “Jacob?”

He paused and swung the door back open, staring right at me. “What’s up?”

I pushed myself upright in bed. “You never did tell me what those moans were that we heard walking back.”

He studies me for a while. “Are you sure you want to know?”

I didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

He licked his lips. “We’re vampires, Bex. And while we don’t feast on humans who don’t accept our offering, there are many humans who do.”

My eyes widened as he continued.

“So because of that, we treat those who feed us… well. We house them here, we feed them here. We give them a life of luxury, opulence, and comfort in exchange for their sacrifice.”

“Sacrifice,” I said softly.

He nodded. “Just like we willingly give ourselves over to the transformation, these humans that let us feed on them give willingly of themselves so that we may thrive. It’s a symbioticrelationship, and it’s one that we treat with the respect it deserves.”

I studied him like a fucking hawk when he spoke. And again, there were no lies on his face. No lies in his eyes. No lies in his tone of voice, or how he stood, or any sort of nonverbal cue or communication to tell me that he was leading me on.

Then again, he was a vampire. He wasn’t technically alive, right? So, did they even have nonverbal cues?

“Sleep well,” Jacob said softly before he inched my bedroom door shut.

And as I listened to his footsteps pad softly down the hallway, I couldn’t help but to flop back down into bed.

“Good God, what have I gotten myself into?” I whispered to myself.

As I tossed my arm over my eyes, my mind fell blank. For once, I didn’t know what the hell to think. If Delilah fed people whatever the fuck they needed to hear so they’d agree to being changed into a vampire, then who’s to say that she wasn’t doing the same thing with those humans they’re using as fucking cattle?

That settled it for me. I had to stay. If there were innocent people being led on before being slaughtered for fucking food, then I had no other choice. It was my duty to my country, to the inhabitants of that country, and to my pack. To the shifters that trusted me.

To my men…

Please, forgive me, you guys.

Because I knew they’d be on the lookout for me, wondering when I’d make it back. Wondering when I’d escape and come looking for them. In my gut, I knew that’s what they were doing. I knew Voss would never leave two entire packs vulnerable like that just to come after me, and I loved him for it. Jesus, I loved all three of them for it.

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